Thursday, September 30, 2010

In August this year I lost my best friend. I'd known her all her life but lost contact for about 7 years after my mum died.

My best friend, my Sheltie, Kirstie. She was 13 years old and was in kidney failure. I won't go into details about how she got so sick, but needless to say it was when she was not with our family anymore.

She was one of 2 surviving puppies from the last litter my mother's kennel ever produced. I ran into an old friend when I dropped by a dog show this year, before we put Kirstie down. She said it would be the hardest loss. Losing the pup from my Mum's kennel. I thought, knowing how ill she was that I would be fine with it. But the circumstances leading to her death and knowing that never again will I have a dog with Mum's kennel name and raised by her and I together has been very hard.

Although we're looking at getting another dog I'm not so sure at this point it will be another Sheltie. Shelties have ruled my dog world for so long, even though I'm not "into" the dog stuff anymore that a change might be good.

But there is still that pull.....the cute faces, the long noses.... the fluffy coats, the smarts, the sense of humour, the personalities that just won't quit. All these things make it hard not to want another Sheltie again. So I have been looking at breeders within my area for a Sheltie, just looking so far.

I'm so unfamiliar with breeders in Ontario now though that it's making it hard for me to find a breeder I know and trust. Luckily there are a few names I recognize so if we do decide on a Sheltie and one of the breeders I do know doesn't have puppies (or an older dog needing a new home) they'll hopefully point me in the right direction.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar. Stir in the margarine until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. (this can be done in a food processor if you like). Add egg whites and vanilla and stir by hand just until the dough comes together.

3. Place a few heaping spoonfuls of icing sugar into a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll the balls in the icing sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray (or use parchment paper). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until just set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Well can you believe it? I'm actually posting again. I hope to keep this up, sort of a mish mash of stuff etc, you know how it is.

Today started early, like most days, at 4:30 am. People (ok mostly other women) think it's weird that I get up with my hubby when he's going to work but I do. I even make him his breakfast and pack his lunch box. Being a stay at home mother, I include that as part of my job.

Now, mind you, I often go back to bed and if not sleep at least drift while watching the early morning news for about an hour (making it about 6:30 by the time I get up again). But this morning, like the last few, I stayed up.

I finished the last of my recording for my eBay sales for last year (at least I hope it's the last). Got dressed and went back downstairs. The house is really cold right now because hubby has yet to finish installing the heat in the house. We do have some heat, just not the full system installed yet so it makes for chilly mornings sometimes.

I made bread this morning, just my regular plain loaves. 4 of them to be exact. Really simple recipe:

2 tbsp of yeast1/2 cup warm waterput these together in a bowl until the yeast dissolves and it looks creamyThen add another 5 1/2 cups warm water with 3 tbsp of sea salt mixed in.Then I just add flour until it's the right consistancy, knead, rise, punch down and put in loaf pans, rise again then in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes or so (I do it by smell and look).

While the bread was doing it's first rising I made my laundry soap, a double batch of chocolava cookies (mmmmmmm and low fat too), had breakfast, tidied the kitchen and played with the dog.

First rising took a bit longer because the house was cooler than "room temp".

I'd like to do my crusty rolls but the recipe book for it is still packed in the garage with most of my belongings. It's really getting annoying having everything out there. Since we moved in here 9 years ago most of my stuff has lived in the garage. Partly because I have so much darned stuff, partly because we keep renovating and I refuse to put my antique ornaments or good books out just so that they can get covered in plaster dust, paint or knocked over by hubby. Hopefully they will be out and in the house this coming summer though.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

What with laundry and dishes, dinner to prepare and all the "normal" things of life my daughter made me stop and take time today.

It's funny how kids do this to us. She'd been bugging forever to make cupcakes and today was her day not to take no for an answer. We put together a simple mix and then iced and decorated them. Total time (not including "oven" time was about an hour. But how happy it made her! OMG it was like giving her a million dollars.

And taking that time away didn't make anymore laundry appear or the dishes get one bit dirtier and the few we made were nothing when measured against how happy she is.

She's happily singing up in her room now, cupcake icing on her face because I'm sure she never stopped to wash it.